myers



2 SheetsSheet. 1.

D. MYERS.

Car Brake.

Patented June 30, 1868.

Inventor:

Witnesses: {KW Z 124W,

N. PETERS, Phom ljlhogmpher, Washington. D. C.

.2 Sheets-Sheet 2. D. MYERS.

Ca? Brake.

No. 79,379. Patented'june 30, 1868.

N. PETERS. Fhcko-Lithogmpher, Washington, 0. C4

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DAVID MYERS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 79,379, dated June 30, 1868.

IMPROVED GAR-BRAKE.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY conceals;

Be it known that I, DAVID MYERS, of Chicago, in the county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Brakes;" and I do hereby declare .the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters and figures marked thereon, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my invention, as applied beneath a car. Figure 2, a bottom view of the same. Figure 3, an end-view. Figure 4, a vertical sectional view at the line a in fig. 2. V Figure-5 is' a side elevation of the wheel L and lover P; and .Figure 6 isa sectional view at the line'y in fig. 2.

My invention relates to that class of car-brakes called safety-brakes," and consists in a'novcl devicewhich is attached to each car in such a manner that they can all be operated to apply a'll the brakes simultane ously, or the brakes can be applied in the usual way.

To enable those skilled in the artto manufacture and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with particularity. v

The same letters of reference refer to the corresponding parts in the different figures.

A represents the bottom of the car, beneath which my improved devicefor operating the brake is applied, and 13 represents an iron frame, which is firmly secured to the bottom of the car by means of the screws orbolts C, the object and use of said frame being to hold and secure the operating parts of my device, as hereinafter described. i

The power which operates to apply the brakes is the spring F, which is enclosed in the drum II, with one end attached to the drum, as shown at a in fig. l, and the other cndattached to the tube or piece E, as shown at b b infig. 4, which is attached firmly to or forms a part of the frame 13. One side ofthc drum H is attached rigidly to the shaft]), so that said shaft, which revolves in the tube E, or onits hearings in theframe B, when the tube forms a part of the frame, always turns with the drum H, and there being a bevel-wheel, I, and anarm, M, which supports the pawl N, on said shaft,-they revolve with it, but the shaft D ends at c, and thercis another shaft, J, with bearings in the frame B, to which. the tumbling-rod o'is attached. The ratchet-wheel L is attached 5 to the shaft J, and revolves with it, but it and the shaft J revolve independently of the shaft D and its attachments, except when the pawl N rests on the ratchet-wheel L, then the shaft J and tumbling-rod o are turned with the said shaft D. The ordinary connecting-rod and'chain, p, which connect the levers under the car that operate the brake, are attached to the tumbling-rod 0, so that when the saidtumbling-rod is revolved, the chain p is wound up on it, and thereby the brake-levers are operated to apply the brake. As the power to revolve the tumbling-rod o and apply the brakes is derived from the spring F, it must be wound up ready for. use; this is done by revolving the drum H.

i U is a rod and chain which extend from. the'p'latform or other convenient part of the car to the combined lever and pawl V. This combined lever and pawl V is pivoted to the frame at m, and one end is jointed to the pawl g, and the other end serves as a pawl, and falls into the cogs h on the drumH, to keep it from revolving in one direction, as hereinafter described. When power is applied to therod U by means of a lever or other suitable device, the combined leverv and pawl V is vibrated, and the pawl g is thrown against the cogs h, and the drum H turned one cog at each vibration. As it is turned, the dog T prevents it from turning back, and holds it when the spring is wound np.

The lever P, which extends across the frame 13, being pivoted thereto at Q, serves the double purpose of sliding the bevel-wheel I on the shaft D, and carrying the pointed arm S, which removes the dogT from the cogs'h when the brakes are applied. When it is desired to'wind up the spring F, the operator draws upon the red I], and'at the same time pulls the rodd, which is attached thereto, and thereby, through the means of the bent lever b and connectingrod a, throws the lever P back into the notch a in the bar Z, where it is held as the winding process goes on, and until the brakes are applied, as hereinafter described, It will be observed also, that as the lever P is so thrown back, it slides the bevel-wheel I under the arm O of the pawl N, and raises the pawl from the ratchetwheel L, so that as the spring F is being wound up, although the shaft D and its attachments are turned, the shaft Jand the tumbling-rod 0 are not turned, and the brakes are not applied. The bar Z, which has a notch in it to hold the lever P, extends across the frame B, and has a lever or arm, is, attached to the end of it, by which it is turned, to release the lever P from the notch, and the lever is is operated by a cord, which extends up the side of the car, and is attached to the bell cord. The lever is is pressed vdown, so that'it holds the bar Z from being turnedby any jolt or motion of the car, by the spring m, which is .an ordinary small spring placed between it and the bottom of the car. i The spring Itis an ordinary spring, and is so arranged as to throw tlie'lever' P forward when released; and the spring t is an ordinary spring, which holds the pa'wl g from resting in the cogs 71., only when it is operated towindup the spring F, as hereinbefore described, and at the same time it holds the combinedlever and pawl V pressed upon said cogs, so that it prevents the drum H from turningonly in one direction, and thereby avoids any reaction of the drum when the brakes are applied.

Having fully described the construction of my invention, I will proceed to describe its operation.' It is first necessary to wind up the spring F, to do whicha person takes hold of the lever attached to the rod and chain U, and by the first stroke of it throws the lever 1? back into the notch a, thereby removing the arm- S 7 from the'dog T, so that it will take in the cogs 7i, and sliding the bevel-wheel I under the arm 0, which raises the pawl-N from the ratchet-wheel L, the lever P is held in this position, and the continued strokes of the lever wind up the spring F, through the operation of the combined lever and pawl V and pawl g, as above described, the spring being held taut by the dog T.- Whenit is desired to apply the brake, it is simply necessary to pull the bell-cord in such a way as to draw on the cord which connects it to the arm or lever k, sufliciently to cause said lever to move the bar Z, and release the lever P from the notch a. The spring It then'immediately throws it forward, moving with it the bevel wheel I, from beneath the arm 0, which causes the pawl' Nto fall on to' the ratchet-wheel L, at the same time the pointed arm S is thrown behind the dog T, removing it from the cogs 7:, when the tension of the spring F causes the drum H and shaft Dto'revolve, and, through the connecting-pawl N, the shaft J and tumbling-rod o. The tumbling-rod gwipds up the chains 1), and through the operation of "the ordinary connecting-rods and brake-levers, applies the brakes to the car-wheels. This method of applying the brakes does not interfere with the same'brakes being operated and applied in the usual way, and the tumbling-rod o is so connected with the shaft J that it'will admit of alateral or vertical motion of the connectingrod and chain 12, at all times, whether the brakes are applied or not. The combined lever and pawl V takes the cogs k, andwhen the spring F has applied the brakes,it holds them rigidly applied.

The first stroke of the lever which is used to wind up the spring F, removes the brakes by throwing the lever I back, as above described, and thereby moving the bevel-wheel I under the arm 0, and raising the pawl N, when the tumblingrod o and shaft J revolve freely to unwind the chain p. The spring F can then-be wound up as before, ready for a second application, as above described. 7

There being one of the above-described devices attached to each car, the brakes of all the cars are applied simultaneously, by pulling the'bell-cord, or there may be a separate cord, extending through the cars, to which the cords are attached that operate the lovers 7:. When a separate cord is used, itextends through the cars of the train, similar to the bell-cord, and to the engine-driver, so that he can apply the brakes in case of danger,

' the same as if the bell-cord were used for that purpose. i

Having fully described the construction and operation of ny invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv 1. The combined lever and pawl V, and pawl and pawls g and T, in combination with the drum H and spring F, when constructed and operated substantially as set forth.

2. The shafts D and J, and tumbling-rod 0, when arranged and operating substantially as and .for the purposes above described.

' ,3, The lever P and bevel-wheel I, incombination with the pawl N and ratchet-wheel L, when arranged and operating substantially as herein set forth and described. I

V 4.- The bar Z, in combination with the lever P, provided with the pointed arm S, for the purpose of releasing the dog T, when constructed and operated substantially as and for the purposes herein described and specified. 7 DAVID MYERS.

Witnesses:

L. L. OOBUR'N, W. E. Manes. 

